Do you wake up on cold, grey mornings thinking about all the wonderful outdoor adventures you are going to have with the children in your care? Or are you praying that it is not your turn to go outside today - feeling cold and miserable at the mere thought of a morning of outdoor play? Well, let's face it. It is winter time and the British climate is neither predictable nor always the most friendly - particularly if we are not properly prepared to enjoy it.
At Learning Through Landscapes we know, through our work with hundreds of settings, that the attitude of the staff makes all the difference to the quality of outdoor experience children have in their setting. 'Mug-huggers' is a term we have coined to refer to staff who cling to their mugs of coffee when they go out with the children in the morning. If they don't have mugs, their body language still says clearly that this is not where they want to be - hunched up, unhappy looking, and uncommunicative with the children.
'Mud-lovers', on the other hand, do not let the weather bother them one bit! They always have the right outdoor clothing (including hats, gloves, waterproofs and wellies). They cannot wait to get outdoors, and feel happier outside than being cooped up inside. They are responsive and enthusiastic, constantly engaging with the children, supporting their child-initiated explorations through observation and providing an enabling environment, rich in interesting resources.
Let's be honest, we can't all be mud-lovers, and only a proportion of early years practitioners will be always confident and enthusiastic about outdoor learning. Many of us are probably somewhere in between a mud-hugger and mud-lover, enjoying being outdoors sometimes - and definitely more so when the sun is shining. But there are so many reasons why it is now more important than ever for early years practitioners to take their children out of doors that we simply cannot allow our own preferences and inclinations to get in the way of children's right to high- quality outdoor play. Here are just a few of the reasons:
1. Children are leading more sedentary lives and there is a growing trend towards obesity. They are spending much more time sitting in front of TV, video and computer screens. Playing outside is one of the best ways to get more active and improve their health.
2. Children are often not allowed out as much as they were in the past due to fears about safety, more road traffic and less space for play. Their time at nursery or pre-school or with their childminder might be the only prolonged and meaningful time they get outdoors in the whole week.
3. Children have fewer opportunities for contact with nature. Playing outside gives children the opportunity to experience first-hand the changing elements, the seasons and the names, features and behaviour of plants, animals and insects.
4. More than ever, children need to understand about the environment and why it is essential for our survival. Outside is the best place for learning where our food comes from, as well as learning about heat, energy, water and waste.
5. Early years practice has a strong tradition of valuing the outdoor environment as essential for children's health, well-being and all-round development. Outside is often the best environment for children to develop all areas of learning and to build confidence, independence and self-esteem.
The importance of outdoor learning is reflected in the most recent curriculum documents in England, Wales and Scotland, as well as other countries all over the world. Playing out of doors every day is not only children's right and statutory entitlement, but also essential for their health and well-being and future.
Winter fun
Winter is the often the most difficult time to motivate yourself to get out. I spoke to two early years practitioners and outdoor enthusiasts, Ginny Wright and Abigail Wedmore (see box). They have the following suggestions for making outdoor practice in your setting more appealing in winter.
- Plan for and make a feature of seasonal changes
- Make provision in your outdoor area to explore the properties of fog, ice, wind, shadows, reflections
- Make bird feeders and notice what wildlife visitors you have to the garden
- Plan for darker days - think about using torches, outdoor fairy lights and lanterns to enhance your outdoor provision
- Make temporary or permanent cosy dens to shelter from the wind and rain
- Organise your resources and storage outdoors to make it as easy as possible to access
- Make a comfortable 'transition' area to enable children to easily and comfortably take their wellies and outdoor clothing off and on as they move between indoor and outdoor play.
The British climate is no excuse. In Scandinavian countries where it is colder and darker in winter, early years practitioners put even more emphasis on getting outdoors. Children regularly spend several hours a day outside - well dressed in snow-boots, woollens and waterproof suits. The staff wouldn't have it any other way.
So make sure children and adults have the right clothes and serve warm drinks for children and staff at regular intervals - but watch out for mug-hugging body language. Focus, as the children do, on the sheer joy of playing with the elements!
Annie Davy is early years adviser at Learning Through Landscapes and is currently on secondment from Oxfordshire County Council, where she is head of Early Learning and Childcare
CASE STUDIES
'Behaviour and relationships improve out of doors,' says Oxford childminder Abi Wedmore
Taking the children in her care outside is a vital part of the day. Abi has been a childminder for three years. Although she lives in the middle of the city, Abi finds interesting green places within walking distance, such as down to the river to watch the fishermen and feed the ducks, or to the meadow where they can see cows and horses, as well as to the local park. She says, 'The children seem to get on better with each other when they are outside. Children at different ages and stages play together in puddles in a way that they won't necessarily do indoors. There is so much to look at. Things are always changing. And so much of it is for free!"
Although some parents are resistant to their children going outdoors at first, and can be anxious about safety, they are soon convinced by the children's glowing faces and the interesting tales they have to tell when they pick them up.
Abi is a quality-assured childminder with Trio Childcare and has received lots of support. Soon after she started childminding Trio had an outdoors theme for their annual members' conference. Inspired by what she had learned, Abi entered Nursery World's Outdoor Challenge and gained a runner-up prize of a box of outdoor equipment. She hasn't looked back since.
'Whatever outdoor area you have, however small, changing the way you use it can make a difference in a child's life,' says Ginny Wright, a Learning Through Landscapes development officer
Ginny is passionate about the importance of giving children interesting surroundings in which to play and learn, and of supporting parents to get their children outside too.
She says, 'I want to be able to give children the feeling of wonder and fascination that the outdoors can offer, especially in today's world, where new houses have tiny gardens or high-rise flats with no gardens at all.'
Ginny puts her enthusiasm down to her own upbringing and living on a farm as a child.
She is particularly busy just now, with many settings in England receiving an early years capital grant and wanting to make the most of their outdoor area. When they contact Learning Through Landscapes, Ginny's job is to help them make the most of the funding to enable their outdoor area to offer the best experiences for children, rather than picking products out of a catalogue.
'It's a fantastic opportunity for so many settings. It is often quite simple changes that make the difference. Thinking about the kind of experiences the children want and need is much more important than reaching for the latest catalogue of things to buy.'
RESOURCES
Learning Through Landscapes (www.ltl.org.uk) offers a host of suggestions for making the most of the outdoors whatever the season and whatever the weather
